Bangalore has been the city of gardens for a long time now…..to prove this we have signboards around the city (specially at the borders) – that call out to you “Welcome to Garden City”…”Keep the garden city clean”….A few days back, while I was driving past one of these, a thought came to my mind – ‘Do we have any committee which will re-review the “garden city” status..probably we might then find out..it’s the ‘city of smoke’ or the ‘city with the least amount of space between two vehicles on roads’ or the ‘city with the maximum number of “dug out” roads’…there are so many titles it can proudly take!
Talking about roads and traffic…I’m really fond of driving even if it is through a swarm of vehicles in all shapes and sizes and moving in all directions…I never get bogged down by traffic (unless it is jammed!)…as long as my car keeps rolling I'll be humming along with the songs on the numerous FM stations the city boasts of.
To add to the flavor of driving, we have many interesting happenings on the road each day here – and without any guilt I can say I too contribute to the chaos sometimes just by habit or just because that has become a norm having lived in Bangalore for years- for instance sometimes you don’t like an SUV overtaking you because it had the power to – what with my zip-drive and highly maneuverable compact car – it can reach the destination before the giant space-hogging SUV. I just then start behaving like a biker and criss-cross through the traffic – later congratulating myself on my achievements.
One day I was simply mesmerized by the way a BMTC bus could create a total traffic jam on the four-laned road – just because it wanted to take a U-turn. Kudos to the courage of the BMTC driver and the patience of the many vehicles on both the sides waiting for the junction to clear off. By the time, the bus took the U successfully, the signal again turned red and the beggars were back into action. We have a special rule here- buses have to be on the leftmost lane to take the rightmost U-turn – quite poetic indeed…
With the burgeoning IT and BPO offices(I would also like to take the easy path of blaming them!!), the number of cab drivers have multiplied like the Indian population, you cant be disciplined on the roads even if you want to…the incessant honking….we can see some F-1 aspirant taxi drivers. I really pity the Merc or other imported brand owners wishing they would have left their expensive modes of transport in their garages…
Finally its not so intimidating to drive in this city, you just have to learn a few tactics (with all the disclaimers!) –
• Stay as close to the bumper of the vehicle ahead you (please tailgate!) ,
• Never follow a lane- the sooner you master the art of zig-zagging the faster you reach your destination (add “God” also to the list of your destinations!),
• Never drive behind a bus - lest you want to note all the “no-bus stop” zones in Bangalore
• If you have a two-wheeler, don’t hesitate to jump on the footpath – you just need land to drive need not the road!
• Honk at every auto – they take the most un-thought-of turns!
• Special privilege to the two-wheeler driver, don’t waste time in giving indicators, just a nod of your head on the right or left is enough- let the driver following you keep guessing your motives!
• Save time by talking on mobiles while driving – also gives a breather to the traffic behind you, they are forced to slow down!
Last but not the least…wear a seat belt/helmet..you don’t want to get caught by the traffic police after all!!
Happy cruising on Bangalore roads!!!
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